Thursday, July 24, 2008

here's what a little public speaking gets you

A while back, I wrote a short column expressing my incredible appreciation for these two girls in Pembroke, MA, who'd successfully petitioned their local Board of Selectmen (Town Council, basically) to build a skatepark in their town (written also to acknowledge the sense of the original article's writer in not gushing about the petitioners being female). Well, slap me silly and call me Susan -- those two articulate and passionate young ladies have one-upped themselves.

"At Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting, Town Administrator Edwin Thorne told the board the Skate Park Committee would be receiving $100,000 to put towards the new facility planned for the center of town."

No word on where that enormous sum is coming from, but I'm so effing excited right now that giving credit is temporarily irrelevant. (And my usual manners are, I assure you, Emily Post-approved.) Sure, it's possible that this isn't the first time a local crew has had their wishes granted through public process and public speaking. But I think it might be safe to wager that this is the first time a couple of eighth-grade girls have led the crusade.

If I'm wrong about that, please, please correct me. Because then I would be exponentially stoked.

Oh, and to broaden that smile on your face, consider this: They're not done yet. Nope -- the Dynamic Duo will continue their homegrown brand of fundraising (think car washes and gussied-up lemonade stands) to complement the recent windfall and to make the timeline to shred-time all the shorter.

I'll see what I can do about getting in touch with these girls, because I now sort of worship them. Watch this space for updates...